Female Repro Physiology 2 Flashcards
Where are the hormones released from that control the ovaries?
Hypothalamus
Anterior pituitary
What does the hypothalamus produce?
GnRH
What does GnRH act on?
The anterior pituitary
What does GnRH cause and AP to release?
FSH and LH
What does FSH and LH cause?
The ovary to produce steroid hormones
What steroid hormones are produced by the ovaries?
Oestrogen and progesterone
What do oestrogen and progesterone act on?
The uterus to coordinate the menstrual cycle
When is FSH released?
In the first half of the cycle
What does FSH do to the follicle?
Allow them to develop
What does the positive feedback of oestrogen cause?
A rapid increased in LH
What happens if pregnancy doesn’t occur during the ovarian cycle?
The follicle turns into corpus luteum
What happens in the second stage of the ovarian cycle?
The oestrogen decreases and the progesterone decreases
What are the 2 phases of the ovarian cycle called?
Follicular phase
Luteal phase
What happens at the end of the luteal phase?
Oestrogen and progesterone levels drop-signals start of new cycle
What happens at the first day of the menstrual cycle?
Bleeding due to the thin endometrium
What happens during the follicular phase of the menstrual cycle?
Oestrogen increases
The endometrium starts to thicken
What happens during the middle of the menstrual cycle
The hormone progesterone starts to be secreted
What is decidualisation?
Changes in endometrium in preparation for pregnancy
What happens during decidualisation?
Oestrogen causes a thickening of the endometrium
Progesterone causes in the vasculature and adds to the thickness
What happens if pregnancy doesn’t occur during menstruation?
The hormone levels drop
Bleeding will occur
A new menstrual cycle will start
